Emollient Therapy for Premature Infants in Zimbabwe

Inclusion Criteria:

* infants \<72 hours of age
* weigh 700-1500 at birth
* hospitalized at SMCH

Exclusion Criteria:

* infants who are moribund and highly likely not to survive despite any intervention
* significant breaches in their skin barrier
* conditions indicating failure to gain weight
* critically ill (definition below):

1. Oxygen saturation \<88% on oxygen therapy AND ≥2 of the following conditions:
2. respiratory rate \<20 or \>100 breaths per minute
3. apnea requiring bag-mask ventilation
4. heart rate \<100 or \>200 beats per minute
* congenital syphilis
* hydrops fetalis
* a life-threatening congenital anomaly or major surgical condition requiring intervention
* generalized skin disease or a structural defect involving \>5% body surface area likely to produce a defect in epidermal barrier function